


Mind Like No Other

by Dawn21Saber



Series: Saber’s Archives of Variangst [3]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst all around today-, Blood, Brotherhood, Brotherhood AU, Brotherhood!Varian, Daggers and bows and alchemy oh my-, Eugene Angst, Gen, Major Character Injury, Mind Control, Mindtrap, Moon Powers Cassandra (Disney: Tangled), Stabbing, Team Awesome (Disney: Tangled), Varian Angst (Disney), Villain Cassandra, there is no comfort, ✨✨✨
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:40:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27093676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawn21Saber/pseuds/Dawn21Saber
Summary: (Aye, this be an AU... don’t ask why I said it like that- Also if this seems familiar, I had to repost it cause AO3 screwed it up 😅)Eugene is faced against an opponent he couldn’t even begin to have a chance against...
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian
Series: Saber’s Archives of Variangst [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1928278
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60





	Mind Like No Other

**Author's Note:**

> This was an impulse write 😂 I just started typing and this is what now exists out of my late night escapades in my drafts folder of AO3.
> 
> If you’re wondering what AU this is, it’s a Brotherhood AU where Quirin sticks with the Brotherhood and he, Adira, and Hector all raised Varian together. Varian became an actual Brotherhood member (the mark is on the back of his left hand under his glove) so you probably know where this is going 😌 thank you to the absolutely amazing people who have thought of this idea before (I’ve seen lots of art but no actual story or fics before sooo I gave it a shot)
> 
> May actually turn this AU into a legitimate story (from S2 onwards and some chapters of S1 but nothing canon cause Var would be with the Brotherhood so everything in S1 happens entirely different). I still think he would have some sort of “villain” arc (or something close to it), as that’s where a lot of his character development stemmed from. Maybe not as drastic because he would have Adira and Hector there, but something would still happen (I still think it’d be amber cause he’d want to find a way to get rid of the rocks). He’d probably go more vigilante than villain considering the morals he’d be raised with in the Brotherhood, avoiding hurting innocent but willing to do what it takes as long as he feels it is moral (his moral compass would be a bit complicated 😅)
> 
> I would probably need help as plot is not my strong suit? Sometimes, it depends really lol okay I’m ranting now I’ll stop-
> 
> If I find I need help, I’ll make a note about it in the story and maybe get a couple people to develop the plot with 👍
> 
> TW: Blood, mind control, stabbing, character injury (physical and mental)
> 
> If I missed any, let me know and I’ll add them!

Eugene’s sword lowered. His face went white as a sheet, eyes widening and becoming glassy with unshed tears.

”No...” he breathed out, hands trembling as he gazed at the teenager’s glowing blue eyes.

Varian’s head tilted, lifeless almost, glowing eyes focused on Eugene. Cassandra was behind him, a devious smirk played on her lips as she clenched the Mindtrap in her left hand, the black rock sword in her right.

A chuckle left the young alchemist, sounding hollow and hysterical almost. “What’s the matter, _Eugene_?” he questioned, practically spitting out the captain’s name.

Eugene’s haze hardened into a glare, directed at the Moonstone wielder using the alchemist as a human shield. “Let him go, Cassandra,” he commanded in a voice trembling with fury.

The warrior gave a smirk, eyes dark and so much more villainous than she’d ever looked before. “I don’t think I will,” she mused, walking up behind Varian. She eyed the bow on his back and the alchemy ball in his hand. “The kid’s intelligent, even when I’m commanding his every move. He’s played the villain role, the danger he presented then is still there, and I can use it as I please now.” She walked circles around him, eyes narrowed like a predator.

”With a mind like no other,” the ghost girl whispered behind her. “Much like Demanitus.” The ghost girl grinned wickedly at the young Brotherhood member. He would be a most valuable asset, more so if she could get him on her side. But she supposed the Mindtrap worked just as well.

Eugene raised his sword again, anger swelling in his chest. He glared at Cassandra. She had gone too far this time. She’d already kidnapped, drugged the kid, hit him with the rocks, and caged him in them, but now she was controlling his very mind and body against his will. She’d crossed the line long ago, but this was a whole new low for her to go to.

The captain doubted she would’ve let him go had he not shown up and caught her attention. Granted, that _did_ make her use the Mindtrap after realizing the teenager was a legitimate member of the Brotherhood.

Eugene clenched his jaw, confliction clear in his eyes. Did he risk attacking Cassandra? It was likely Varian would jump in front of her or even try to fight him. He didn’t want to fight him if he could help it, much less end up injuring him. The kid wasn’t incredibly strong so he might be able to hold him off long enough to get the Mindtrap away from Cassandra...

There wasn’t much time to think as Varian tossed the alchemy ball at Eugene’s feet. The captain started, jumping back just in time. The pink goo covered the floor where he was just standing, solidifying.

”C’mon, Goggles,” Eugene pleaded as Cassandra backed away from them, “I know you’re in there. Please... fight for me.”

Cassandra leaned against one of the many black rocks in the chamber. She clenched the Mindtrap, making it light up blue with her newest command: kill Eugene. She raised an eyebrow when instead of immediately attacking, Varian froze in place. The blue glow taking over his eyes dimmed slightly as he began trembling.

The teenager let out a cry of pain and gripped his head. He shook his head violently, goggles falling off and to the floor. One of the lenses shattered upon impact with the cold rock floor. He squeezed his eyes shut, taking a step back before his body forced him to take a step forwards. He pried one eye open, Eugene doing a double take at the pained baby blue that stared at him.

”E-Eugene... please...” Varian choked out, the blue slowly taking over his eye again. “Just get – AH! – out... of here!”

Cassandra snarled, eyes narrowing as she watched Varian let out a pained, “GO!” to Eugene. This kid was strong in his mind, she should’ve known that. He was fighting the mind control.

A sudden chill beside her made the Moonstone wielder glance to see the ghost girl beside her. There was a strange glint in her eye and her mouth was tilted into a frown before curling into a sinister sneer.

”He can’t fight it for long,” she mused, watching as Varian grabbed his wrist that was going for his dagger on his belt. His arm was trembling at the effort of fighting the control. She gave a glance at Cassandra, the sinister sneer making the woman shudder. “Make him listen. No member of the Brotherhood can resist the call of the Mindtrap.”

Cassandra gave a nod as the ghost girl disappeared. She looked down at the object in her hand. She ran a thumb over it before taking a deep breath. She held it in both hands, commanding Varian to turn to her.

Eugene watched in horror as Varian’s body turned to Cassandra. His flashing eyes locked on her cold blue and he froze, trembling coming to a stop. Her eyes lit up a brighter blue before dimming, a smirk making its way on her face.

Varian’s eyes regained their blue glow, his shoulders slumping and arms falling to his side. He mechanically reached for the bow on his back, taking an arrow out of his quiver. It had a yellow-orange solution on the tip, and Eugene took a quick step back.

It was the amber solution. The solution Varian had discovered some time before meeting the group. The solution that pushed Varian’s mind to its breaking point, causing him to fall down a dark path. The solution that caused an uncontrollable amber crystal to grow when coming into contact with the black rocks. Black rocks... like the tower they were currently in.

Varian’s lifeless glowing eyes turned to Eugene, staring at him. His mouth twitched upwards, a hollow grin on his face as he flashed his buck teeth.

The normally excited and sassy teen now resembled the lost and mad alchemist Eugene had heard of.

The captain of the guard brought up his sword as Varian readied his arrow, pulling back the string with narrowed eyes.

He should run. He should take Varian’s plead and run. But he _can’t_. The alchemist was his best friend, the other half of Team Awesome. He’d been through so much so young and Eugene hadn’t been there for him. He’d even been one of the people making assumptions based on his past when first meeting him. He was an idiot for doing so. This kid had more bravery than people gave him credit for, saving lives time and time again to prove himself trustworthy. Eugene wasn’t about to leave him now, not again. He wasn’t going to abandon him or assume the worst. He was going to stay. He was going to fight for his friend – _his_ _family_.

The captain ducked and rolled to the side as Varian released the arrow. The arrowhead embedded in the black rock floor. Not a second later, amber crystals began sprouting, jutting this way and that before stopping.

Setting his jaw, Eugene reading his sword as Varian loaded another arrow, one that didn’t have the amber solution this time or a black rock tip.

The arrow soared through the air, Eugene bringing up his sword just in time to deflect it. The arrow ricocheted and snapped in half upon hitting a rock.

They continued this way for some time – Varian firing arrows and Eugene deflecting or dodging them. Despite Cassandra’s hold on the teen’s mind, Eugene knew he was still fighting. He could see it in the tremble of his hands when firing arrows and the grimace of his face when he managed to graze Eugene with an arrow on the shoulder.

But the onlookers were tiring of this endless game of dodgeball. Cassandra rolled her eyes as she glanced over to the ghost girl.

”He’s still fighting,” she said impatiently, fingers twitching around the hilt of her sword. She was beginning to get irritated with the young Brotherhood member.

”Patience, Cassandra,” the ghost girl’s level voice said with a wicked intonation. “He will fall... and then he will be one of your biggest assets.” She grinned widely, eyes sparkling with glee. “He just needs a little... convincing.” She raised a brow from where she floated, eyes flitting to the Mindtrap.

Cassandra glanced down at it, feeling a flash of disdain for the object. She’d tried twice to break the barriers around Varian’s mind, failing both times. She’d chipped away but he’d built them right back up again. She had to give credit where credit was due – he was stubborn with a strong moral compass however skewed it might be. She needed to break his walls once and for all, but how?

Tightening her grip, she closed her eyes. She brought the Mindtrap up near the Moonstone, the celestial stone sparking slightly at the close contact.

The Brotherhood’s one goal was to protect and serve the Moonstone no matter what. And right now, _she_ was the Moonstone. Varian _had_ to listen to her. He had no say in the matter, no choice of his own volition.

The Moonstone shot a spark at the Mindtrap, making it flash blue before dimming once more.

Cassandra snapped open her eyes, tinted blue. She looked directly at Varian, seeing him halt. He slumped slightly, a groan leaving his mouth before his head raised up like that of a doll being puppeted. He stared unblinkingly at Eugene, facial expression slack and glowing blue eyes as lifeless as the rock around them.

”Kid?” Eugene breathed, shoulder stinging from where Varian’s arrow had grazed him. “Please... don’t give up.”

But Varian did not hear him.

Instead, the alchemist reached into his quiver and withdrew an arrow tipped with the amber solution. Before Eugene had a chance to dodge, a pink alchemy ball was throw at his feet, encasing them in the goo.

Eugene looked up in a panic. Varian’s left hand still extended from where he’d thrown the ball. The teen looked at the amber tipped arrow in his right, contemplating it. He walked up to Eugene slowly, the arrow down at his side.

The captain wiggles his feet, knowing his struggle was useless. His breathing stuttered as Varian stopped in front of him. Eugene heard a crack at his feet, looking down to see the teenager had stepped on the last remaining lenses of his goggles, shattering it.

A sudden burning pain enveloped his left side causing him to gasp and grab at his side...

Only to find another already there, balled into a fist as if clutching something.

Eugene’s tear filled eyes found Varian’s hand gripping his dagger. Blood oozed from the wound, dripping down Varian’s glove and staining the floor.

He had stabbed him. Varian – _no_ , he reminded himself, the kid was under the influence of the Mindtrap – _Cassandra_ , did this.

Eugene locked eyes with Varian as his eyesight become blurry with tears. He wasn’t even crying from the physical pain. He was hurt because he knew – oh, how he _knew_ how much this would hurt Varian when he came to himself. Varian had hurt people in the past willingly, and when he came to the light again, he swore to never hurt another soul.

Eugene could only imagine the pain he would be in when he awoke. When he awoke from whatever world he was in to find out he had stabbed his closest friend.

When he awoke to find Eugene laying in a puddle of blood and Cassandra cackling away.

He could hear her sadistic cackles ringing through the tower, somehow gaining joy from seeing the sight in front of her. It made Eugene sick (but that also could’ve been the wound in his side).

Eugene gave one last look to Varian, seeing the hand holding the amber tipped arrow trembling. The arrow was raised up, ready to be jabbed into the black rock floor –

But was dropped to the floor as an anguished cry left the boy in front of him.

Varian stumbled back, dropping the blood stained dagger with a _clink_. He fell to his knees, gripping his arms so tight Eugene was sure he would leave welts where his nails were despite the thick gloves over his hands.

Another scream left him before he ultimately passed out, slumping to the floor, face set in a grimace before slackening.

Eugene gave a sigh, feeling woozy as his legs swayed. His eyes rolled, black dotting his vision before he, as well, passed out, body hitting the cold floor as all went dark.

And all the while Cassandra just _watched_...

**Author's Note:**

> Head canon that Brotherhood!Varian would be taught to wield a bow or dagger? I lean towards bow more cause it’s long distance and less blood for him to see cause you know this boy still hates blood XD their sneaky and can avoid killing someone with ease, but could incapacitate them 👌 he’s still our favorite alchemist, but now he can use a bow.
> 
> Before y’all go and continue on your journeys, I want to thank every one of you for reading my stories (even the ones I’ve deleted that I hated and y’all still liked them)! 🥺🥺 You have no idea how much it means as someone who quit fic riting years ago and started up again because of the absolutely amazing shows that have been coming out!


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